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The Gift

Edward's Storyline, Chapter 10.1

copyright comidacomida 2019

The next three days were a blur of activity and inactivity as I did everything I could to hurry up and wait. I took time off of work so I could settle things in Cherry City during the day in preparation of heading back to Central Oregon to handle a whole shit-show of my grandparents' murder; at night I spent the hours learning more about the meditations that would give me the best chance of what the Spirits called Joining. It was more learning than I'd done since high school, but, unlike back then, I was learning something important.

Ch'upikaq turned out to be one of the best teachers I'd ever hand. He was amazing at helping me understand and, when I didn't, he always had another way to explain it. I grew a lot closer to the feathered Serpent in those days, often spending hours at a time with his coils wrapped around my arms and legs as he took me through meditative movements by contracting his body around my limbs, helping me move almost like a puppet... but it never felt like he was controlling me so much as guiding me.

I grew closer to Green too; he wasn't just proud of my willingness to stand up for myself, but he praised me often for refuse to be a victim. I didn't need the praise though-- I had never been good at sitting idle and I couldn't stand for wrongs not being made right. Red, despite being aloof almost all of the time, occasionally had insightful things to say and, in those moments, I greatly valued having him around. Getting to know the aspects of The Ancient One was important according to Ch'upikaq; I had to be as familiar as possible with them if we were going to Join. I didn't make that commitment, of course, since they weren't the only option.

Despite how much Green was convinced that I would fight the Spirit of War Joined with The Ancient One, the more time I spent learning about the process the harder it was to commit myself to agreeing with him... after all, The Ancient One wasn't the only Spirit around, and there were worthwhile arguments for considering a different partner. Tre was also quick to point that out, and he did it often.

Ever since our intimate moments together it felt like my relationship with Tre continued to deepen. When I wasn't running errands or meditating with The Ancient One the Wolf Spirit took up a lot of my time sitting with me and talking. There was something I'd never appreciated in being able to reflect on my situation by bouncing thoughts off of someone else but Tre was there with me the whole time willing to just sit and listen as I spoke more in those three days than I'd probably spoken in an entire month before it.

He was attentive and, when I urged him to speak, he was insightful. Although we hadn't known one another for very long it felt like he really 'got me', and, despite having been so elusive during our first days together, he'd come out of his shell and, to me at least, he was an open book. It wasn't much of a stretch to say that I was falling in love with him.

Medved was also a constant fixture in my life, usually filling in whatever time I wasn't spending with The Ancient One or Tre. It wasn't that I was trying to sideline him or push him into the space between 'important activities', but Medved was more of a quiet watcher and that made it easy to put him on auto-pilot. That isn't to say that he didn't contribute-- far from it. The Bear was insightful and impactful where it counted; he helped keep me on track when it mattered, helping me focus when I was doing all of the day-to-day stuff that needed to get done before I left to deal with the fallout of my grandparents' murder.

After whatever the Spirit of War had done to make such a big change in my life it sunk in pretty quickly that I had no family; I had never known my dad and, with my mom gone and no siblings that just left me... me and Medved. More than anyone else, the Bear was a part of my past, even if I had only just recently learned about him. He and I had a history, and it showed in the little ways he cared for me when I wasn't caring for myself. Every night he'd sit with me as I fought to fall asleep, my mind awash with a thousand thoughts, just being in my presence without saying anything... he didn't have to.

It was a hard three days, and, between balancing obligations, emotions, and spiritual learning the time passed quickly. It was on the morning of day four that I started packing my car, and an important discussion came up. Tre was seated on the hood while The Ancient One, with Ch'upikaq in control of the body, flittered back and forth with me as I made a few trips to and from my place loading up what I'd packed. Medved remained off oto the side, and he was the one who started the dialogue. "Will you take possession of your family's home?"

That question halted me in my tracks; my grandparents had owned that house longer than I'd been alive and, if I remembered right, there was no mortgage on it. I owned a house? "I... guess I hadn't thought about it."

The Bear remained where he stood, arms crossed over his chest. "They would want you to... this much I know, Synochik."

He was right, of course, and at first I just continued packing the car. On one hand, I'd started a life in Cherry City but, on the other, everything I'd come from was waiting for me. Based off of Medved's statement it was obvious what he thought I should do, but Tre spoke up, offering a different view. "That was their house, sure, but Eddie needs to make his own way too. At some point you have to let go of the past before it denies you your future."

Medved snorted at the statement. "Let go of the past? Like you have?"

The Wolf's ears went up and, as I looked at Tre I realized that the accusation had stung him. My eyes went back to the Bear. "Medved, I--"

The Ancient One wriggled through the air toward me, the feathered Serpent body quickly shifting into that of the furred Dragon and Red interjected "There is nothing wrong with considering options for the future, but never should we look so far ahead that we miss out on what is around us now."

Tre quickly recovered, clearing his throat before agreeing. "Right. Nothing needs to be decided on right now... let's just take care of this and deal with Morgana before planning out our future."

Green's voice spoke up from Red's maw. "Yes... I will enjoy breaking her."

Medved's dour expression remained unchanged. "So long as we find her in better terms than what she will set if she were to find us."

I closed the door to the passenger side of my car and walked around to the driver's side. "Alright... everyone in. We got a four hour drive ahead of us and I'd like to get there before the worst of the heat."

Tre pushed himself backward on the hood of the car and slipped through the windshield, coming to rest on the passenger's seat. Although he occupied the same space as the small cooler I'd put there it didn't seem to bother him in the least. The Ancient One likewise floated into the car. Red fused into the door, passing seamlessly through it before wrapping his body into a figure eight and settling down comfortably amidst the luggage in the back seat. "We are ready, Edward."

I lingered at the driver's side door without getting in, gazing over the top to Medved. "Are you sure you're not joining us?"

The Bear remained there, arms still folded across his chest. Having already said he refused to travel in a car, the shake of his head didn't surprise me much, but it still hurt nevertheless. "Niet, Synochik, but when you arrive you can call on me and I will be there."

Tre didn't seem to have a problem antagonizing Medved. Leaning out through the window, the Wolf stated "Some Guardian... what if Morgana tries something while we're on the road?"

Medved didn't rise to the bait. "Then you'll protect him... and if you fail, once she is done with you I will finish you off myself."

The Wolf laughed, taking the statement well, and he offered a thumbs up before withdrawing into the car once again. The Bear, in the meantime, walked around the car until he was standing next to me. He took hold of one of my hands in one paw and rested the other one on my shoulder. "Be safe, Synochik... and if there IS trouble, I will come."

I--